This invention relates generally to target acquisition systems and more particularly to such systems that are used in conjunction with an airborne platform.
Although there are a number of reasons for target acquisition systems to be associated with airborne platforms, the most prominent are for directing photo recognizance and for aiming weapons systems. Target acquisition systems for the latter purposes, in general, involve the use of advanced target sensing devices. However, the most effective target acquisitions system, particularly for close support of ground operations is the vision of the pilot. Unfortunately with current target acquisition systems, it requires a substantial amount of time for the computerized system to acquire the target once the pilot of the aircraft has made initial visual contact. The aircraft must be maneuvered until the computerized ranging devices lock on the target.
Time spent in performing these maneuvers exposes the aircraft to counter action and as a result should be minimized to the greatest extent possible. This is particularly so in systems which require the ordinance to guide to a target on the ground designated by an aircraft.
The invention presented herein allows the computerized target acquisition and designation system to find the target at the instant the pilot places the pip on the target, thereby eliminating time ordinarily required between initial visual contact and designator system acquisition.